Gail Borden Library trustee charged with punching elderly parents

Randolph "Randy" L. Hopp, a Gail Borden Library board trustee, has a history of intimidation stretching back to bans from the library and as a Carpentersville bank for threatening actions and harassment. The newest manifestation comes in the form of domestic violence charges for punching his elderly parents, according to police reports.

Elgin police responded just before 6 p.m. Wednesday to the Hopps' home on Pamela Drive. Based on what Hopp's father told police, Randy Hopp, 59, entered his parents' kitchen, and began yelling and swearing at his mother, police said. When his 82-year-old father tried to pull him back, Hopp punched him in the back five or six times, reports said. Later, when his 80-year-old mother tried to use the phone, Hopp punched her in the upper arm, his father told police.

Hopp denied hitting either of his parents, reports said. He told police his parents are verbally abusive to him and that his mother pulled a knife on him in the kitchen.

Officers did not observe any injuries to anyone involved.

Hopp spent the night in jail and appeared in bond court Thursday, where he was charged with two counts of domestic battery, both misdemeanors. Bail was set at $750. Hopp is next due in court at 9 a.m. March 22 at the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles.

Hopp was elected as a library trustee to a 4-year term in 2009, after already having been banned from the building in 2000. A new ban was instated after library officials said Hopp harassed staff members in requesting board meeting minutes. That ban has been renewed three times and is currently valid through June 2012.

Library Director Carole Medal issued a statement Thursday: "We are sorry to hear this news, but it is not a total surprise. Our staff has experienced this threatening behavior. That is what led to his suspension at the Gail Borden Library."

Hopp was also banned from the now-closed Elgin State Bank in Carpentersville in 2005. The ban came with charges that Hopp threatened a bank manager, but the charges were dropped in May when the victim and a witness did not appear in court.